Nearly 5 Million Tune in for Leverage Premiere; 5.4 Million for ‘Librarian 3’ on TNT

TNT had a very successful weekend. The third TV movie from The Librarian franchise, The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice got things started by drawing 5.44 million viewers on Sunday night from 8-10pm. That led into the series premiere of Leverage, which held steady from its lead-in and drew 4.99 million viewers from 10-11pm (92% retention).

Leverage’s performance among the key demos was even more impressive, with 94% retention among adults 18-49 (2.06 million out of 2.19 million who watched ‘The Librarian’) and 93% retention among adults 25-54 (2.64 million out of 2.84 million who watched ‘The Librarian’).

The full press release follows after the jump.

5 Million Viewers Tune in for Premiere TNT Thrilling New Series LEVERAGE

Acclaimed Series Starring Oscar Winner Timothy Hutton Scores TNT’s Best Ever Adults 18-49 Delivery for an Original Series Telecast during Broadcast Season

Premiere of TNT Original Movie THE LIBRARIAN: CURSE OF THE JUDAS CHALICE Lands 5.4 Million Viewers

TNT scored another big win on the original series front with last night’s launch of LEVERAGE, starring Oscar winner Timothy Hutton. The fast-paced drama was watched by 5 million viewers, according to Cable Fast Nationals. It also delivered 2.1 million adults 18-49, ranking as TNT’s best original series telecast ever in delivery of that key demographic during a regular broadcast season.

“We are thrilled that audiences and critics have responded so positively to this fun and exciting new series,” said Steve Koonin, president of Turner Entertainment Networks. “LEVERAGE marks the latest successful step in TNT’s ongoing plans to challenge the broadcast networks head-on with high-profile original programming.”

“LEVERAGE is yet another example of the great results that can be achieved working with the industry’s best talent, in this case an outstanding cast, led by Timothy Hutton, and an incredible production team, headed up by executive producers Dean Devlin and John Rogers,” said Michael Wright, senior vice president in charge of the Content Creation Group for TNT, TBS and TCM. “We’re very proud that this show has gotten off to such a great start and look forward to its continued success in its regular Tuesday timeslot.”

LEVERAGE follows a team of thieves, hackers and grifters who seek revenge against those who use power and wealth to victimize people. Hutton stars as a former insurance investigator whose son died as a result of corporate greed. He now puts his energy, quick mind and keen intellect toward securing justice for society’s underdogs. His highly skilled team is played by Gina Bellman, Christian Kane, Beth Riesgraf and Aldis Hodge. LEVERAGE comes to TNT from Electric Entertainment and executive producers Dean Devlin and John Rogers.

The commercial-free launch of LEVERAGE, sponsored by the Hyundai Genesis, benefited by a very strong lead-in, the original movie THE LIBRARIAN: CURSE OF THE JUDAS CHALICE, starring Noah Wyle. The third installment in THE LIBRARIAN franchise of movies, also from executive producer Dean Devlin, was watched by 5.4 million viewers,

Ratings highlights for last night’s series launch of LEVERAGE and the premiere of THE LIBRARIAN: CURSE OF THE JUDAS CHALICE:

Turner Network Television (TNT), one of cable’s top-rated networks, is television’s destination for drama and home to such original series as the acclaimed and highly popular detective drama The Closer, starring Kyra Sedgwick; Saving Grace, starring Holly Hunter; Raising the Bar, with Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Gloria Reuben and Jane Kaczmarek; Leverage, starring Timothy Hutton; and Trust Me, with Eric McCormack and Tom Cavanagh. TNT also presents such powerful dramas as Bones, Cold Case, Law & Order, Without a Trace, ER and Charmed; broadcast premiere movies; compelling primetime specials, such as the Screen Actors Guild Awards; and championship sports coverage, including NASCAR and the NBA. TNT is available in high-definition.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.